1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package and container and, more particularly, pertains to a contourized silicon wafer container package for transporting and storage of silicon wafers by a three-components, cassette, package top and package bottom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art packages for shipment and storage of silicon wafers have exhibited certain deficiencies throughout the course of utilization of silicon wafers for the processing into integrated circuits.
One of the deficiencies of the prior art was a secure cassette for not only holding and transporting the wafers, but for subsequent placement in wafer processing machinery and wafer transfer for processing such as through airtrack suction, or rubber belt processes. The prior art carriers and transport boxes required a double time motion in first packing the transport carrier with wafers and then second transferring the wafers from a transport carrier to a processing carrier. This caused damage to the silicon wafers as well as lost time and motion and with breaking of the wafers during transportation and transfer therein.
Another deficiency of the prior art was a storage box which secured the wafer in a closed environment and could withstand the rigors of the transportation industry, whether by motor freight or by air freight. The prior art containers did not exist to provide for an uncontaminated environment, the packages were not smooth, and the prior art carriers were not provided for usually interlocking and interengaging with other portions of the package. Consequently, packages were cause for contamination and breakage of the wafers during shipment or storage.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a package providing for shipment of silicon wafers including components of a wafer cassette, a package top and a package bottom which interlocks and interengages with respect to each other with a plurality of wafers in the cassette, providing for a safe, uncontaminated and flush perimeter package for taping in addition to securing of the wafers in the cassette with the wafers in the cassette secured between the package bottoms and the package tops. The new cassette designs provides full depth packing of the wafers and point contact of the wafers for better stability and minimum wafer contact respectively.